The present invention relates to the manufacture of laminated products having many layers, and, more particularly, to the manufacture of laminated food products, such as candy, which are formed by the layering of a smooth nonabsorbent material and a soft flowable material.
For many years, candy bars have been manufactured which have a crisp texture together with a strong flavor component associated with a soft material. This combination of texture and taste has been achieved by producing a laminate which contains many thin layers of a brittle candy separated by thin layers of the soft flavor material.
These candy bars are conventionally made by a labor intensive process that produces inconsistent results. In the prior art process, a hot solution of corn syrup and sugar is dropped on a circular chilled table. A pair of scrapers work the solution by drawing it from opposite outer edges of the table toward the center, the table turning about 1/8 turn between successive scraper operations. As the solution cools, in turns into a soft pliable taffy. Color and flavor ingredients, in liquid form, may be added to the taffy by pouring it into a depression formed in the taffy mass. The taffy mass is manually folded to cover and close the depression. The mass is then manually lifted onto the hooks of a taffy puller. The puller works the taffy, aerating it to reduce its density.
The aerated taffy is transferred from the puller to a conveyor and is fed between rollers to form a thin sheet. A layer, for example, of hot peanut butter is applied to the sheet and the sheet is severed at predetermined intervals. Each section of sheet is rolled into a log weighing about 80 lbs. The log is folded in half, fed between rollers and rolled out into a sheet once more. This sheet is again rolled into a log which is manually wrapped in a sheet of taffy to keep peanut butter from squeezing out the ends and to provide and insure that the product pieces have an outer sheet of candy with no exposed peanut butter.
The log is manually placed in one of a number of spinning machines that feed a conveyor. The spinning machines have several long rotating cones provided with traction knobs and are positioned on axes that converge toward the output end. The cones are spaced to receive the log and are rotated to draw the log toward the output end and thus stretch the log into a rope about 1/5 its original diameter (from about 5 inches diameter to about 1 inch diameter). The ends of the rope are manually fed onto a conveyor which carriers a number of ropes each formed by a separate spinner. The ropes are divided into product sized bars and enrobed with chocolate.
The sheet of taffy in which the log is wrapped forms a taffy wall at each end of the log. As these end portions are stretched out to form the rope, they produce rope sections containing unlaminated taffy. This results in undesirable hard spots in the candy bars.